The present invention relates to user interfaces to appliances and networked computing resources and, in particular, to a hand portable electronic smartcard reading device.
International Patent Publication No. WO 95/35534 (Combaluzier), which has an English language equivalent published as Australian Patent Publication No. AU-A-28896/95, discloses an electronically programmable smartcard encoded with information and being readable by hand held remote control device having a keypad. The keypad incorporates a number of transparent keys regularly positioned over a slot into which the electronic smartcard is able to be inserted. Icons or indicia formed on the smartcard are electronically mapped, via data stored in the smartcard, to the corresponding overlying key of the keypad thereby enabling a user of the control device and smartcard to select a remote control function using a key overlying a corresponding icon. The device was described for use, with one smart card and keypad combination as a combined remote control for a television set and one or more other appliances such as a video cassette recorder or radio. It has also been disclosed to use a similar read device with multiple smartcards, each smartcard causing the device to control a different appliance.
Access to computer networks and the resources available therefrom is almost an essential part of modern commercial and private activity. Traditional methods for obtaining access to network computing resources utilise direct data entry into a computing terminal of the location of a resource desired to be accessed. For example, this typically occurs when a user of a personal computing device such as a desktop computer operates a browsing application during which access to resources, either on a local computer, local network or wide network such as the World Wide Web (WWW, or the xe2x80x9cWebxe2x80x9d), may be made. Web access is typically via uniform resource locaters (URL""s) which may be typed via a keyboard into the web browser application as a specific address, or accessed via an electronically selectable hyperlink displayed to the user of the computing device. Electronic selection is typically performed by the clicking of a mouse or through some keyboard selection via the standard keyboard of the computing device. Such arrangements typically require a complex graphical user interface to be presented to the user to facilitate access, particularly if maximum functionality afforded within the network is desired to be utilised.
Whilst such networked access devices have the capability to perform a multitude of tasks, such performance is not obtained without incurring reasonable financial costs in establishing the computing resource, as well as the computing cost in operating a high level application program. Traditional computing interfaces offer reasonable user convenience for a wide range of users.
Australian Patent Publication No. AU-A-53527/99 (Keronen et. al.) discloses a hand held smartcard reading device provided with a transparent touch panel having a region segmentation defining user selectable areas corresponding to the locations of icons printed on the corresponding smartcard. The device and the data recorded on the smartcard operated to provide access to computer or similar networks. With such an arrangement, the icons were not required to be printed on the smartcard according to a predetermined keypad layout, since the mapping of the overlying touch panel could- be uniquely defined by data programmed into the smartcard.
Disadvantages of the arrangement of WO 95/35534 are that the keypad defines only a fixed key layout, and also that the transparent keypad overlay is relatively expensive. Problems with the arrangement of AU-A-53527/99 relate to the cost of the transparent touch panel and also the extent to which users must, within the accuracy of the printing of the icons on the smartcard, press the specific area of the touch panel to activate the network connection referenced by the underlying icon.
It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more problems or difficulties associated with existing arrangements.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a system for accessing a user desired function, said system comprising:
at least one smartcard device, each said smartcard device comprising at least one (first) indicia formed on a surface of said smartcard and observable by a user thereof, and a memory device containing access information for at least one said user desired function associated with the corresponding said indicia;
a reader device for said at least one smartcard device, said reader device comprising a plurality of user operable switches positioned about a receptacle into which said smartcard is insertable for reading said access information, said receptacle providing for user observance of said indicia when said smartcard is so inserted; and
a link associated with each said indicia and arranged to associate said indicia with at least one of said switches thereby enabling the user to access said desired function indicated by said corresponding indicia.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a smartcard for accessing at least one user desired function, said smartcard comprising:
at least one (first) indicia formed on a surface of said smartcard and observable by a user thereof;
a memory device containing access information for said desired function associated with the corresponding said indicia; and
a link associated with each said indicia and arranged to associate said indicia with at least one user operable switch of a reader device for said smartcard thereby enabling the user to access said desired function indicated by said corresponding indicia.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is disclosed a read device for reading a smartcard, said smartcard comprising indicia formed thereon and a memory having data stored therein wherein said card is configured for insertion into said read device, said read device comprising:
a plurality of user operable switches positioned around a receptacle into which said smartcard is insertable for reading said data and relation information to associate said data with said each switch, wherein operable ones of said switches are associated with indicia on said smartcard visually; and
a processor for reading said data corresponding to a switch pressed by a user based on said relation information and sending said data to an external device.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is disclosed a read device for reading a smartcard, said smartcard comprising indicia formed thereon and a memory having data stored therein wherein said card is configured for insertion into said read device, said read device comprising:
a plurality of user operable switches positioned around a receptacle into which said smartcard is insertable for reading said data and relation information to associate said data with said each switch, wherein operable ones of said switches are associated with indicia on said smartcard visually; and
a processor for sending to an external device all of the data and relation information read from the smartcard in advance and sending a signal from a switch pressed by a user to the external device.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is disclosed a computer device for receiving signal from a smartcard reader having several switches, said computer device comprising a processor for receiving data and relation information to associate said data with said each switch, wherein operable ones of said switches are visually associated with each indicia on the smartcard to be inserted into the smartcard reader and for executing data corresponding to a signal when the signal was sent from the reader.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is disclosed a read device for reading a smartcard, said smartcard comprising indicia formed thereon and a memory having data stored therein, and wherein said card is configured for insertion into said read device, said read device comprising a plurality of user operable switches positioned around a receptacle into which said smartcard is insertable for reading said data and relation information to associate said data with said each switch, wherein said each switch is associated with each indicia on said smartcard visually.
Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.